This Super Seed Pecan Cashew Butter is beyond delicious and will quickly become your new favourite spread! It’s packed with seeds, for an extra boost of protein, fibre and omega-3s.
If there’s one thing I always have in my fridge, it’s nut or seed butter. I love it on all the things. Sourdough toast, bananas, dark chocolate, or just straight out of the jar (don’t judge). It wasn’t until I made my own that I discovered that it was in fact possible to become more obsessed with nut butter. Seriously, nothing really compares to a fresh batch of homemade, creamy, rich nut butter, especially when you can customize it and make it your own!
This pecan cashew butter is downright delicious and actually super easy to make! I decided to give this version a bit of texture and a nutritional boost by including seeds like chia seeds and hemp seeds. If you’re missing any of these seeds though, don’t worry. You can easily customize this recipe to work with what you have and your preferences.
Ingredients needed & nutritional benefits
- pecans: adds a buttery rich flavour. They’re high in antioxidants and minerals like manganese and copper.
- cashews: adds a really nice subtly sweetness to the nut butter. They’re rich in fibre, healthy fats and minerals like copper, zinc and magnesium.
- pumpkin seeds: a source of antioxidants and zinc, which can support skin and hair health and our immune system.
- sunflower seeds: high in vitamin E, which can help protect protect against cardiovascular disease. They’re also a source of selenium, an important mineral for thyroid function.
- flaxseeds: high in antioxidants, fibre, and omega-3 fats. They’re also rich in lignans, which can help to balance hormones.
- hemp hearts: a complete plant-based protein that contains the perfect patio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, which is important for overall health. GLA, a beneficial omega-6 fat, can help balance hormones and supports a healthy metabolism.
- chia seeds: a great source of fibre and can help balance blood sugar.
- vanilla extract and ground cinnamon: this is optional, but it really helps to add a little something special to your nut butter!
- sea salt: enhances the flavours of the nut butter.
Tips for creamy nut butter
- Equipment: make sure that you’re using a powerful food processor or a high speed blender, like a Vitamix. The processing/blending step can take up to 10 minutes depending on what you’re using, so you’ll want to use equipment that can handle that. If you’re using a blender, use the temper to push down the nuts as you go.
- Patience: depending on your food processor/blender, it can take awhile for the nuts to really break down and become a deliciously creamy butter. It will go from crumbs, to clumpy, to a gritty paste before it finally becomes smooth. Don’t be tempted to add any water while processing! This will cause the nut butter to seize, making the consistency clumpy and difficult to spread. Once you have a smooth paste and you find the nut butter still too thick, feel free to add a bit of oil like avocado oil or coconut oil.
- Roasting the nuts: I recommend buying raw nuts and roasting them yourself for the best flavour. This step really helps to bring out the delicious flavour in the nuts and makes processing them a whole lot easier and quicker, since roasting helps them release their oils. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t burn and become bitter.
Super Seed Pecan Cashew Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw pecans
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon, or to taste
- Good pinch or two sea salt
- 2 tbsp each of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, hemp hearts and chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place pecans and cashew on a baking sheet and roast for 8-10 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on them to avoid burning. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
- Transfer the roasted nuts to a food processor (a vitamix would also work) and run on high speed until smooth, creamy and runny, scrapping down the sides periodically. The amount of time will depend on the strength of your food processor, but can take up to 10 minutes.
- Add vanilla, cinnamon, salt and seeds to the nut butter. Process until you reach your desired consistency (pulse a few times if you want to leave it crunchy). If you’d like a runnier consistency, you can also add a avocado oil, coconut oil or MCT oil.
- Taste and adjust vanilla, cinnamon and salt if needed. Transfer to a clean glass jar and store in the fridge.
